ROSE GARDEN. Antonello Ricci is a native of Vasto, but also one of the historic Libertas Livorno group, finalists in the playoffs for the A2 basketball series. Tonight (8.45 pm) the Labronici will challenge Liofilchem Roseto at home: series at 1-1. And Ricci is a former player, having played with the Sharks, in A2, in the 2013-2014 season with Tony Trullo.
«I have no difficulty in admitting it: it was one of the less brilliant seasons», he remembers with sincerity. An Abruzzo native in Tuscany. «For anyone, Roseto is Roseto in basketball, a point of reference in Abruzzo. I have often found myself faced with it from the youth team up to today. I was there a year and I know the square. He is demanding, he lives basketball in a visceral way. In this the two cities are similar.” And winning on Tuesday evening had a particular flavor for the 32-year-old from Vasto. «Guys, a show. Over 4000 spectators in the stands. Of course it’s fun to win races like that.” And this evening? «Roseto will find a boiling atmosphere (about three thousand spectators, ed). Livorno lives on basketball, it has two teams in Serie B. The other was (PL, ed.) eliminated in the semi-finals. Here, the tickets ran out a week ago. The fans seemed friendly to me and this makes me happy.”
Antonello Ricci has lived for basketball ever since he attended the Salesians’ Don Bosco gym in Vasto as a child. From there, what he calls “basketball autism” was born. Yes, an illness, a passion that marks you. Ricci played in Serie A in Teramo, with the Livorno coach Ramagli; the A2 to Reggio Calabria, Roseto and Naples. He played in Serie B in Giulianova. «And it was there that my passion for the wedge ball was rekindled in me». Fourth year in Livorno. «When I arrived the president talked about a three-year project to go to A2. Last year we lost the final and this year the club has made the right additions to strengthen the squad. We are not in the final by chance, it was an objective of the club.” What game will Game 3 be? «Meanwhile, the sports hall will be bedlam like at the PalaMaggetti. A bedlam colored with amaranth. Character, attributes, technique and clarity will be needed. A bit of everything. Above all, the audacity of young people.”
And Roseto? «A great team with an impressive Mantzaris. He seems to be walking, yet the ball always goes. In game two we did well to neutralize him. We defended well against him. But Roseto is strong. Winning game two gave us energy and confidence. Above all it gassed the environment. But we know it’s tough: race one got out of hand when we thought we could win it and race two was about to take the same turn. Good for us that we managed to keep the bar straight.” From Roseto around 250 fans traveling to the PalaMacchia in via Allende and a team, that of Gramenzi, thirsty for redemption after Tuesday evening’s defeat.
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